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SAT and ACT readings are, plain and simple, boring to read. Therefore, I encourage all of my students to stop reading, and start hunting. What are you hunting for? Clues to the author’s message – the main idea that relates to all of the questions.

As you’re hunting, stop and check out the buts! “But”, “instead”, “rather”, “though”, “however”, “despite”, “although” and “yet” are thought-reversers. Remember these words using the acronym BIRTHDAY. These thought-reversers should be circled, and the words that follow should be underlined. These thought-reversers change the direction of a piece and qualify statements. An answer to a question is usually found directly following a thought-reverser.

Imagine little Johnny and little Suzy. Johnny thinks little Suzy is a little cutie, and wants to ask her on a date.

Johnny: Hi Suzy, I was wondering if you’d like to go out on Saturday.

Suzy: Oh Johnny, that’s so nice of you to ask. You’re really cute, funny, and an awesome chem lab partner, but…

Johnny can stop listening at this point. It doesn’t matter how many compliments Suzy lays out. As soon as she says “but”, Johnny knows there will be no Saturday night with Suzy the cutie.

So again, make every day your BIRTHDAY while you’re hunting through a reading passage on a standardized test. Circle, underline, and take note of the change in direction!

This week Time magazine published its annual 100 Most Influential People, and I practiced my yearly ritual of reading it thoroughly, taking notes as I read. Why did I do this? Because bringing in current events is the key to getting a strong SAT essay score.

History, literature, sports and personal examples all provide powerful evidence to support your thesis. However, current events are an added bonus! Not only are current events easy to fit into most essays, but they will knock the socks off the grader. Writing about current political, economic or environmental issues – the so-called “grown-up problems” – immediately catches the reader’s attention. The current event details are easy to prepare for, easy to remember, and – because most students do not bring current events into the essay – give you an easy way to make your essay completely original. By following the two simple steps below, you will be able to effectively incorporate “the now” into your essay.

Step 1 – Two weeks before the exam, pick up a copy of Newsweek, Time magazine or the newspaper! This week Time magazine features the 100 Most Influential People of 2013.

Step 2 – Peruse the magazine, looking for feature stories that relate to the fifteen core topics. Are heroes being discussed? Global-warming issues? War stories? Recent deaths of famous people? Sports stars in trouble? Find three to four good stories (ones that relate to a handful of the fifteen core topics). Know the details of these stories – the names, the facts, the magazine you got the article from, and the month it was published. Own your moments!

For more about adding current events into your essay, check out Write the SAT Essay Right.

No, don’t panic; I have not gone to the wild side. I am talking about being a sentence stripper! It’s fairly easy to hear a subject-verb error in a sentence. Test makers know this…and test makers are slightly evil. Therefore, they hide simple subject-verb errors in flowery, complex sentences in which the subject gets lost. It’s your job to strip the sentence down to the bare essentials and find the subject!

If Little Miss Sentence wants to walk down the street, she needs to be wearing the basics: pants and a shirt. However, if Little Miss Sentence wants to be trendy, she can accessorize: scarves, necklaces, feather boas, bracelets, hats – the works! But accessories can be overwhelming! Little Miss Sentence needs to strip down to the basics: a subject and a verb. Any extras – adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, etc. – need to go! The sentence “striptease” process is detailed below.

Stripping to the Bare Essentials

• Step 1: Cross out Prepositional Phrases

e.g. The bird in the yard began chirping.

This step requires that you know your prepositions! For the most part, prepositions are little words that give position. “In”, “on”, “above”, “toward”, “by” – these guys. The three most commonly used prepositions are “of”, “for” and “to”.

So, a prepositional phrase is a preposition with a noun that follows. Prepositional phrases will never include the subject of a sentence. Prepositional phrases are strictly accessories used to decorate the subject-containing sentence.

• Step 2: Cross out Interrupting Phrases

e.g. The team, ignoring tradition, will update the uniforms.

Interrupting phrases are typically thrown into a sentence between two commas or two dashes. A general rule: Cross out anything sandwiched between commas.

• Step 3: Cross out Non-essentials

e.g. Early this morning, Emma awoke to finish studying for her difficult chemistry exam.

Other non-essentials include introductory phrases (such as “Once upon a time”) and most adjectives and adverbs. Non-essential phrases may also be attached to the end of a sentence- so strip from both ends!

Want to ace the ACT science section? Follow these surefire strategies:

Go out of order: There will be one reading passage plus six chart or graph passages. Save the reading passage for last, as it takes the most time and you don’t want to get stuck (or frustrated!) right from the start.

Time yourself: Each science passage should take roughly 5 minutes to complete. Time your practice sections, making sure to stick to this pace.

Many students are taking the SAT this weekend, so I am sending you my best SAT test-taking strategies. Please share these tips with your child.

Remember, YOU control the test. Don’t let the test control you!

General Test-Taking Tips

CHOP AWAY
This is a multiple choice test. You won’t always be able to immediately pick out the correct answer. However, you should be able to chop away at the wrong answers and whittle it down to the best choice.

ELIMINATE AND GUESS
If you can eliminate two or more answers, take a chance and guess. Probability is in your favor at this point.

CLEAR YOUR MIND
Don’t fall apart on the test. If you think you’ve “bombed” a section, clear your mind, refocus, and move on to the next section with confidence. Remember, there is an experimental section on the test that does not count. You may have bombed this section!

BREATHE DEEPLY
If you feel yourself getting anxious, take five deep breaths. This will slow your heart rate and allow you to focus on the questions in front of you. It helps to close your eyes during the deep breathing to truly block out the test for a moment and relax.

LEAVING BLANKS
Know when to leave blanks on this test! In the 400-range: leave questions blank that you do not know the answer to. In the 500-range: leave six or fewer blanks. However, if you can narrow down your answer choices to three – guess! In the 600-range or higher: absolutely no blanks!

MOVE ON
This is a standardized, timed test. Do not “get stuck” and waste time on one question that you may get wrong anyway when you could move on and get the next three questions correct.

SUCK ON CANDY
Studies have shown that students who suck on candy during an exam score higher than those who do not. Bring some sucking candy to the test to help keep yourself awake and engaged.

NO MECHANICAL PENCILS
Although you can find #2 mechanical pencils, don’t bring them to the test. They break, and you have to sit there clicking away waiting for the next piece of graphite. You don’t need the added stress of mechanical pencils, so leave them at home. Plus, scantrons may not pick up the indentations of a mechanical pencil – don’t take that chance!

BRING EXTRAS
You never know what to expect on the day of the test – so expect the worst! Bring extra batteries for your calculator, extra pencils, extra erasers, and an extra sweatshirt in case the room is cold. Be prepared!

Reading Section Tips

BANK YOUR TIME
Don’t spend more than five minutes on sentence completions. You should go through these quickly, like a machine, and spend most of your time on the reading comprehension questions.

USE THE MAIN IDEA
If you’ve narrowed down the answer to two or three choices, relate the answers back to the main idea. Take a leap and choose the one that best fits with this main idea.

DON’T PANIC!
The readings can be confusing and overwhelming. Don’t get sucked into the abyss of vocabulary words and nonsense! If you find that you’re lost, don’t freak out. Simply focus on the conclusion, get the main idea, and then tackle the questions. Often, if the reading is exceptionally difficult to get through, the questions tend to be a bit easier.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF VOCABULARY
Just because you’re unsure of the definition of a word, don’t be afraid to pick it as the answer. Use your ear – does the word sound like a good word or a bad word? Rely on positives and negatives to get through the sentence completions quickly.

Writing Section Tips

PICK “NO ERROR”
Don’t leave blanks on the grammar multiple-choice. If you don’t see (or hear) a mistake, pick no error. This is correct one in five times!

RELY ON THE KEYS
Remember, the SAT is setting traps! Rely on the grammar keys to find the error and fix the sentences. Being is bad! Which is a witch! It = vomit!

JOT AN OUTLINE
Take a few minutes at the start of the essay to organize your thoughts. Think LCHPS – which literary, current events, historical, personal or sports moments can you draw into this essay?

Math Section Tips

USE YOUR CALCULATOR
Rely on your calculator to do the work! Don’t miss questions because you’re making silly arithmetic mistakes in your head.

GRID-IN
Incorrectly answered grid-in questions do not result in any additional point deduction. Therefore, it pays to grid-in something!

Sitting in the ski lodge this past weekend, I overheard a group of mothers discussing this past January’s SAT. Of course I couldn’t help but eavesdrop! One mother was complaining that her daughter ran out of time because her daughter was confused about how to answer the math grid-ins. (One math section has 10 questions that are not multiple choice.) Being the pushy woman that I am, I leaned over, asked the mom for her email address, and told her to read this week’s newsletter.

So, here you go ski mom! Please share with your daughter:

Math Grid-In Key Tips

• Always start from the left.
• The grid cannot accommodate: negative answers, answers with variables, answers greater than 9999, or answers with mixed numbers.
• Always use the most accurate number that fits. 1.4 is not a substitute for 1.43.
• Grid only the first three digits of long or repeating decimals.
• It is not necessary to round repeating decimals.
• Always guess if you have time- you don’t lose any points for a wrong answer.
• Unless the problem indicates otherwise, an answer can be entered on the grid either as a decimal or as a fraction.
• You don’t have to reduce fractions to their lowest terms.
• Convert all mixed numbers to improper fractions before gridding the answer.
• Some questions will have more than one right answer.

When it comes to the grammar section, imagine you’re in the thick of the World Series of Poker. Put on your best poker face, and concentrate on the hand in front of you. Certain types of mistakes trump all others. Look first for mistakes in pronoun and subject/verb agreement, as these are the Royal Flush of grammar errors. You do not need to memorize lots of grammar rules, but to win this game you do need to understand the rules of pronoun and subject/verb agreement. Like a game, look first at the pronouns and verbs underlined and make sure all are correct. THEN, and only then, look at the other underlined words or phrases for mistakes. The stakes couldn’t be higher: ace this game and your prize is a college acceptance letter!

For a list of the commonly found grammar errors, email us for WilsonDailyPrep’s Grammar Keys.

Taking the ACTs and SATs is like playing in the Superbowl: you need extreme focus, you can’t let your opponent psych you out, and your future is riding on your performance. To emerge victorious, you must be physically and mentally prepared to crush your opponent. In order to win the championship ring – that college acceptance letter – you need to outsmart, outperform, and out-tackle the toughest questions on the test. Here’s how to do it:

Wear a Watch: Timing is essential on the SAT and ACT, yet many classrooms don’t have clocks (or at least working ones!). Pacing can make or break your score, so keep an eye on the time.

Bubble in Properly: Filling in a circle seems so simple, but just last weekend, I had a student cancel his SAT test because he bubbled incorrectly. He waited until the end of each section to bubble in all of his answers, then bubbled in the wrong section! Don’t let this happen to you! Bubble in as you answer each question! Also, don’t let sloppy bubbling cost you precious points. Fill in the circle completely, darkly, and within the lines so that the Scantron machine correctly interprets your answer. Don’t forget to erase completely. And whatever you do, don’t use a mechanical pencil!

Do Not Hit a Wall: Frustration and anxiety arise when you come to a tough question you cannot answer. It is important to SKIP this question and come back to it a few minutes later. As you take the test, the brain develops a natural rhythm and what seemed impossible a few minutes ago might not be so hard now. Answer the questions in the order you want to answer them! Also, engage in Process of Elimination (POE): narrow the answer down to 2 or 3 choices (from 5) and make an educated guess.

Don’t Get Stumped: The SAT contains 10 sections, but one of these sections is the experimental section. This section doesn’t count in your overall score. The experimental section can be math, reading, or writing (but not the essay). If you find a very difficult section, do not panic! This might be the experimental section. Take a deep breath and just do your best. Make sure you complete every section even if you’re sure it’s the experimental one, just in case you’re wrong. (Better safe than sorry, right?) The SAT and the ACT can be mind games but don’t let the test win! After you complete each section, let it go and move on!

Sarcasm. That tricky little tone. Most SAT exams (not all) contain questions that require students to understand and find sarcasm within a passage. These questions are usually level 5 questions (hardest) and the hardest type of question for me to teach. Sarcasm: the use of irony to mock or show contempt. This tone is subtle and often misunderstood within the reading. Students often confuse anger with sarcasm or they completely miss the mockery and think the tone is positive. Once I teach what sarcasm is and what it looks like within an SAT passage I have them highlight every time they come across this tone. Also, I teach students to always be on the lookout for sarcasm because if they don’t anticipate it, they will not recognize it. Finally, students should go back and HUNT for sarcasm if they see any of the following words as an answer for a tone question: Wry, Sardonic, Critical, Derision, Irony, Scorn, or Cynicism. Knowing to look for the sarcastic tone, and recognizing this tone will help students gain an extra 10-30 points on the SAT! Here is a typical reading that expresses sarcasm:

I thought we had finished with the subject of your wanting to become a writer when you passed through New York last April. You asked for what you called “an uncle’s meddling advice,” and we spent an afternoon talking about your chance of commercial or critical success (nil and next to none), about the number of readers that constitutes the American audience for literature (not enough to fill the seats at Yankee Stadium), and about the Q ratings awarded to authors by the celebrity markets (equivalent to those assigned to trick dogs and retired generals). You didn’t disagree with the drift of the conversation, and I thought it was understood that you would apply to business school.

The tone of the parenthetical comments is best characterized as

A. ebullient
B. diffident
C. sanguine
D. surly
E. wry

Answer: Choice E.

Here’s one New Year’s resolution you won’t want to break: rock the 2013 ACT! You can make this resolution a reality with these five helpful tips:

English: The context (style and structure) questions usually require more thought than the grammar questions do. Focus first on just the grammar questions within each 15 question passage (there are 5 passages per English section). Once you’ve completed the grammar questions, you can tackle the context questions with much more success.

Math: The math section is in order of increasing difficulty. Strong math students should make sure to allow themselves enough time to finish the more difficult questions. However, if in practice you see that you struggle with the harder questions, spend the needed time and be sure to ace the first 30 questions. Don’t stress if you run out of time and don’t get to the last few questions.

Reading: You will always be presented with four long readings – Prose, Social Science, Humanities and Natural Science. There’s no rule about what you need to read first. Start with your strongest subject, and end with your weakest! You must practice taking a bunch of readings in order to evaluate what is your strongest and weakest. Helpful Tip: 75% of my students find the Prose reading most difficult.

Science: Skip the reading blurbs and focus only on the charts and graphs in a passage. Use the questions to guide your eyes to the right answer.

Essay: This is a persuasive essay. You must choose a side and convince readers your side is the “right” side! Include 3-4 distinct reasons that support your side. Less than three ideas and your argument is weak; more than four ideas and you don’t have time to develop each fully. Make sure to bring up the opposition and knock it down!